1
00:00:06,000 --> 00:00:10,960
In 1840, one man transformed
travel in Britain and Ireland.

2
00:00:10,960 --> 00:00:13,040
His name was George Bradshaw

3
00:00:13,040 --> 00:00:17,880
and his railway guides inspired the
Victorians to take to the tracks.

4
00:00:19,120 --> 00:00:21,680
Stop by stop he told them
where to travel,

5
00:00:21,680 --> 00:00:24,240
what to see and where to stay.

6
00:00:25,840 --> 00:00:29,880
Now, 170 years later, I'm making
a series of journeys

7
00:00:29,880 --> 00:00:32,440
across the length and breadth
of these islands

8
00:00:32,440 --> 00:00:36,560
to see what of Bradshaw's world
remains.

9
00:01:00,640 --> 00:01:03,200
For this journey
I've crossed the Irish Sea

10
00:01:03,200 --> 00:01:06,960
using my Bradshaw's Guide
to Great Britain and Ireland.

11
00:01:06,960 --> 00:01:10,960
When my descriptive railway handbook
was published in the 1860s

12
00:01:10,960 --> 00:01:15,880
the two formed a United Kingdom
under the reign of Queen Victoria.

13
00:01:15,880 --> 00:01:18,400
Although industrialisation
was more pronounced

14
00:01:18,400 --> 00:01:20,640
in England, Wales and Scotland,

15
00:01:20,640 --> 00:01:24,520
there was an extensive railway
network in the Emerald Isle.

16
00:01:27,040 --> 00:01:30,000
Today I'll learn the ancient
art of butter-making.

17
00:01:30,000 --> 00:01:32,840
It's exquisite, Eamon. It's a taste
of the Irish rain.

18
00:01:32,840 --> 00:01:35,840
Thank you very, very, very much.

19
00:01:35,840 --> 00:01:38,320
I'll tackle the basics of Ireland's
oldest game.

20
00:01:38,320 --> 00:01:40,320
So, what's the first thing I have
to learn?

21
00:01:40,320 --> 00:01:43,160
Just... Is to bounce it
on my...hurley.

22
00:01:43,160 --> 00:01:45,200
Hurley. Yeah. Oops!

23
00:01:45,200 --> 00:01:46,960
And I'll ride
the Duke of Devonshire's

24
00:01:46,960 --> 00:01:49,280
Victorian Irish railway.

25
00:01:49,280 --> 00:01:51,920
In case the Duke of Devonshire
is watching,

26
00:01:51,920 --> 00:01:54,480
I want to thank your ancestor, sir,

27
00:01:54,480 --> 00:01:57,800
for giving us this lovely railway.

28
00:02:00,280 --> 00:02:03,000
Using my Bradshaw's guide,
I'm following tracks

29
00:02:03,000 --> 00:02:05,920
which opened up the rich resources
of the south of Ireland

30
00:02:05,920 --> 00:02:08,400
to tourists and trade.

31
00:02:08,400 --> 00:02:12,720
I'll then travel north to discover
Ireland's 19th century heart,

32
00:02:12,720 --> 00:02:17,520
before turning west
to finish in beautiful Galway.

33
00:02:17,520 --> 00:02:21,600
Today's leg begins in Charleville,
on the northern tip of County Cork,

34
00:02:21,600 --> 00:02:27,080
takes in County Tipperary
and ends in the city of Waterford.

35
00:02:29,400 --> 00:02:31,960
My Bradshaw's is rather unfair.

36
00:02:31,960 --> 00:02:34,840
The constant drizzle
is the chief drawback,

37
00:02:34,840 --> 00:02:37,520
but this gives Ireland
its emerald green.

38
00:02:37,520 --> 00:02:40,120
It's said that the rain
never leaves off

39
00:02:40,120 --> 00:02:42,440
but on the 30th of February.

40
00:02:42,440 --> 00:02:44,680
Well, the rain may be inconvenient
to the tourist

41
00:02:44,680 --> 00:02:49,000
but it's given Ireland an industry
that is the envy of the world.

42
00:02:49,000 --> 00:02:51,440
Dairy farming.

43
00:02:55,280 --> 00:02:58,960
Founded in 1661,
Charleville, in County Cork,

44
00:02:58,960 --> 00:03:02,000
was named after King Charles II.

45
00:03:04,000 --> 00:03:06,480
Linen and wool
were its first staples

46
00:03:06,480 --> 00:03:09,320
but after the railways
arrived in 1849,

47
00:03:09,320 --> 00:03:13,520
dairy farmers, and butter-makers in
particular took full advantage.

48
00:03:22,720 --> 00:03:24,560
I'm meeting Eamon O'Sullivan,

49
00:03:24,560 --> 00:03:27,400
who can trace his butter-making
and railway roots

50
00:03:27,400 --> 00:03:29,560
all the way back
to Bradshaw's day.

51
00:03:29,560 --> 00:03:31,680
Ha-ha! Eamon!

52
00:03:31,680 --> 00:03:34,200
Not many people have a railway
signal in their garden.

53
00:03:34,200 --> 00:03:36,360
Why do you have it?
Because you see a signal,

54
00:03:36,360 --> 00:03:42,040
I see a monument,
a monument to thousands of employees

55
00:03:42,040 --> 00:03:45,080
that built the railways,
that laid the track,

56
00:03:45,080 --> 00:03:48,840
that controlled the signals,
that worked in the station,

57
00:03:48,840 --> 00:03:51,160
like my own dad and my granddad.

58
00:03:51,160 --> 00:03:54,240
I was actually born under a signal.

59
00:03:54,240 --> 00:03:57,400
Were you? And my mother,
the day I was born,

60
00:03:57,400 --> 00:03:59,720
on February 8, 1953,

61
00:03:59,720 --> 00:04:03,720
there was a big noise and she said,
"Don't worry, luvvie," she said.

62
00:04:03,720 --> 00:04:07,000
I was two hours old. "That's
the 1730 going down to Cork."

63
00:04:07,000 --> 00:04:09,720
The first sound you heard
was a train. A steam train.

64
00:04:09,720 --> 00:04:13,800
I've come to talk to you about
butter. What is the connection
between railways and butter?

65
00:04:13,800 --> 00:04:15,960
If you were a farmer
in West Limerick

66
00:04:15,960 --> 00:04:19,920
and you had 50 miles to travel
to the marketplace, which was Cork,

67
00:04:19,920 --> 00:04:22,920
it took 12 hours. When the train
stopped in Charleville, Michael,

68
00:04:22,920 --> 00:04:25,800
it took one hour.
So you had your product

69
00:04:25,800 --> 00:04:29,520
efficiently gone to
the marketplace in Cork.

70
00:04:29,520 --> 00:04:33,640
And all that because of the train,
so I take double pride

71
00:04:33,640 --> 00:04:37,880
in being a railway child
and also being on my mother's side

72
00:04:37,880 --> 00:04:42,200
descended from great dairy people
who knew about making butter.

73
00:04:42,200 --> 00:04:45,360
Replacing the 'butter roads'
that once connected

74
00:04:45,360 --> 00:04:47,560
County Cork's rural areas
with its towns,

75
00:04:47,560 --> 00:04:51,120
railways sped up the delivery
of dairy products,

76
00:04:51,120 --> 00:04:54,720
like the butter Eamon and his
daughters produce traditionally

77
00:04:54,720 --> 00:04:58,040
from its raw material - cream.

78
00:04:58,040 --> 00:05:02,360
Now, Michael,
if you entered a house in the past,

79
00:05:02,360 --> 00:05:05,720
it was very good manners to take
part in the churning,

80
00:05:05,720 --> 00:05:08,320
so I'm going to ask you
to wish the butter good luck

81
00:05:08,320 --> 00:05:10,520
and a good yield
and good flavour

82
00:05:10,520 --> 00:05:13,000
that you would operate
the churning for a few minutes.

83
00:05:13,000 --> 00:05:14,440
Just like this? Just like this.

84
00:05:14,440 --> 00:05:17,080
Eamon, what is it I'm doing here,
what am I achieving?

85
00:05:17,080 --> 00:05:20,960
Michael, you're doing something
that people did 400 years ago.

86
00:05:20,960 --> 00:05:23,280
That's the oldest form
of butter churning.

87
00:05:23,280 --> 00:05:25,160
Now, what happens next, after that?

88
00:05:25,160 --> 00:05:28,160
Now, what you have now is buttermilk
and butter grains.

89
00:05:28,160 --> 00:05:30,240
You took one product
and you made two.

90
00:05:30,240 --> 00:05:34,120
You took one product and,
like Paul Daniels, you did magic.

91
00:05:34,120 --> 00:05:37,120
You did magic! And look now,
you've two products.

92
00:05:37,120 --> 00:05:40,040
You've buttermilk and butter grains.

93
00:05:40,040 --> 00:05:43,520
So, Edwina is working the moisture
out now and the air.

94
00:05:43,520 --> 00:05:45,560
Now, I see why you get the water
out, of course

95
00:05:45,560 --> 00:05:47,680
but why do you need to get
the air out as well?

96
00:05:47,680 --> 00:05:51,400
Very important you take the air out,
because bacteria need three things,

97
00:05:51,400 --> 00:05:53,880
they need heat, food and moisture,

98
00:05:53,880 --> 00:05:57,280
so, we reduce the temperature,
which takes out the heat.

99
00:05:57,280 --> 00:05:59,720
We take out the air,
which takes out the oxygen

100
00:05:59,720 --> 00:06:02,960
and we take out the moisture,
which takes out the food source

101
00:06:02,960 --> 00:06:05,400
and we salt it as well,
which shouldn't allow

102
00:06:05,400 --> 00:06:08,080
or encourage bacteria to grow.
So, you get good flavour

103
00:06:08,080 --> 00:06:11,720
and long keeping. Ah, that's why you
put salt in it as well, is it?

104
00:06:11,720 --> 00:06:13,760
Exactly. Edwina, may
I have a little go at that?

105
00:06:13,760 --> 00:06:16,360
Most definitely.
So, what do I have to do?

106
00:06:16,360 --> 00:06:18,640
Just squeeze to get the water
and the air out.

107
00:06:18,640 --> 00:06:21,080
Yeah. Now, if you take the heel
of your hand and go like that.

108
00:06:21,080 --> 00:06:22,880
Yeah, OK. Like this.

109
00:06:22,880 --> 00:06:24,920
I can see water still coming out.
That's right.

110
00:06:24,920 --> 00:06:27,280
And you can fold it in like this.
Uh-huh.

111
00:06:27,280 --> 00:06:28,400
It's rather satisfying.

112
00:06:28,400 --> 00:06:31,000
I can show you the shaping
into the block, if you'd like?

113
00:06:31,000 --> 00:06:34,240
Ooh, that will be difficult, I should
think. OK, show me how you do that.

114
00:06:36,480 --> 00:06:38,720
Now, mind the splashes. It's just...

115
00:06:49,040 --> 00:06:52,880
Mmm, beautiful.

116
00:06:52,880 --> 00:06:56,840
Now, Michael, Louise is actually
going to wrap the pound of butter.

117
00:06:56,840 --> 00:06:59,280
Just like doing Christmas presents,
isn't it?

118
00:06:59,280 --> 00:07:01,480
A little block of gold.

119
00:07:04,120 --> 00:07:06,280
In a world dominated by technology,

120
00:07:06,280 --> 00:07:09,000
it's heartening that traditions
dating back to Bradshaw

121
00:07:09,000 --> 00:07:11,360
and beyond still thrive.

122
00:07:12,920 --> 00:07:16,720
Michael, this is
the fruit of our labour

123
00:07:16,720 --> 00:07:21,600
and it was a labour of love,
but, Michael, we have done justice

124
00:07:21,600 --> 00:07:24,880
to the memory of thousands
and thousands of people

125
00:07:24,880 --> 00:07:26,920
going back 4,000 years.

126
00:07:26,920 --> 00:07:29,920
And I'm going to ask you
to taste that.

127
00:07:29,920 --> 00:07:31,960
And that colour, Michael,
is pure natural,

128
00:07:31,960 --> 00:07:35,440
that's the beta-carotene
that comes from the grass.

129
00:07:35,440 --> 00:07:39,200
Thank you, Eamon. And I'm going to
ask you to wash it down, Michael,

130
00:07:39,200 --> 00:07:41,520
with real, real, buttermilk.

131
00:07:41,520 --> 00:07:43,880
Now, there is little grains
of butter in it,

132
00:07:43,880 --> 00:07:46,320
that's to be expected,
and I think, Michael,

133
00:07:46,320 --> 00:07:50,240
you're going to leave here with
a taste that you will not forget.

134
00:07:50,240 --> 00:07:53,680
Enjoy. Your great good health,
Eamon.

135
00:07:53,680 --> 00:07:56,400
And thank you so much, Michael.

136
00:07:56,400 --> 00:07:58,160
Mmm.

137
00:07:58,160 --> 00:08:00,200
Gosh, that is the richest thing

138
00:08:00,200 --> 00:08:05,040
with all those little pearls
of butter. Gorgeous. Beautiful.

139
00:08:05,040 --> 00:08:07,920
I thank you so much
for recognising that.

140
00:08:07,920 --> 00:08:10,720
And followed now
by dollops of butter.

141
00:08:10,720 --> 00:08:13,880
Very good, very good, very good.

142
00:08:13,880 --> 00:08:18,280
It's exquisite, Eamon,
it's the taste of the country,

143
00:08:18,280 --> 00:08:20,680
it's the taste of the Irish rain.

144
00:08:20,680 --> 00:08:23,120
Please, Michael,
take it away in your heart.

145
00:08:23,120 --> 00:08:26,600
and take it away in your mind.
Thank you very, very, very much.

146
00:08:34,080 --> 00:08:38,000
Leaving County Cork behind,
I'm making a detour north east

147
00:08:38,000 --> 00:08:42,200
into County Tipperary
on the intercity mainline.

148
00:08:59,000 --> 00:09:01,320
The arrival of the railways
in Victorian times

149
00:09:01,320 --> 00:09:04,760
massively increased mobility,
enabling people

150
00:09:04,760 --> 00:09:09,040
to broaden their horizons beyond the
limits of their village or community

151
00:09:09,040 --> 00:09:12,480
and that new ability to travel
to other towns and cities

152
00:09:12,480 --> 00:09:15,560
stimulated the development of sport,

153
00:09:15,560 --> 00:09:19,280
particularly one that became
so important in Irish history

154
00:09:19,280 --> 00:09:24,440
and culture, as I hope to
discover at my next stop, Thurles.

155
00:09:24,440 --> 00:09:28,760
In the 12th century,
at least 1,700 Norman invaders

156
00:09:28,760 --> 00:09:32,600
were slain in battle here,
but in the late 19th century,

157
00:09:32,600 --> 00:09:35,880
Thurles became a symbol of pursuits
of a gentler nature

158
00:09:35,880 --> 00:09:38,720
when the Gaelic Athletic Association
was formed.

159
00:09:38,720 --> 00:09:41,480
It's the governing body of
Ireland's national sports -

160
00:09:41,480 --> 00:09:44,200
Gaelic football and hurling.

161
00:09:44,200 --> 00:09:48,400
And with the advent of the railways,
crowds from all over the country

162
00:09:48,400 --> 00:09:51,480
were able to travel
to watch these games.

163
00:09:51,480 --> 00:09:55,840
Today, this rural town has an
incongruously large sports stadium.

164
00:09:55,840 --> 00:09:57,800
And I'm meeting Pat Bracken,

165
00:09:57,800 --> 00:10:02,280
a PhD student of Victorian sport
to find out why.

166
00:10:02,280 --> 00:10:04,520
Pat, this is an enormous stadium.

167
00:10:04,520 --> 00:10:08,120
I thought Thurles was quite
a small town, how do you have
such a large stadium?

168
00:10:08,120 --> 00:10:10,800
Thurles had a sports field
here for many years

169
00:10:10,800 --> 00:10:14,360
and it developed from 1910
as a sports field

170
00:10:14,360 --> 00:10:17,280
solely for Gaelic sports
and pastimes.

171
00:10:17,280 --> 00:10:19,760
And it's a terrific gem
for the game,

172
00:10:19,760 --> 00:10:22,320
not alone in Thurles,
but throughout the country.

173
00:10:22,320 --> 00:10:25,720
What's the population of Thurles and
what's the capacity of the stadium?

174
00:10:25,720 --> 00:10:28,240
Thurles has a population
of just around 7,000 persons

175
00:10:28,240 --> 00:10:30,800
and the stadium has
a capacity of 53,000

176
00:10:30,800 --> 00:10:33,680
so it's a big jump,
but on match days,

177
00:10:33,680 --> 00:10:36,920
particularly the Munster final day,
it's absolutely jam-packed

178
00:10:36,920 --> 00:10:40,560
and there's a great buzz
around the town and the square.

179
00:10:41,720 --> 00:10:44,760
No-one knows the precise origins
of the sport.

180
00:10:44,760 --> 00:10:48,160
But perhaps the earliest surviving
reference to hurling in this island,

181
00:10:48,160 --> 00:10:51,400
is found in 7th century Irish laws,

182
00:10:51,400 --> 00:10:54,880
which describe sporting injury
compensation.

183
00:10:54,880 --> 00:10:58,120
Not for the faint hearted,
hurling is played with sticks

184
00:10:58,120 --> 00:11:00,960
called hurleys,
a ball called a sliotar,

185
00:11:00,960 --> 00:11:04,320
and by two teams of 15
trying to outscore each other

186
00:11:04,320 --> 00:11:08,160
by hitting the ball
between the posts or into the goals.

187
00:11:08,160 --> 00:11:10,320
So, when did the sports
that are played here

188
00:11:10,320 --> 00:11:12,760
become official and organised?

189
00:11:12,760 --> 00:11:16,120
They became official and organised
for the want of a better word,

190
00:11:16,120 --> 00:11:18,840
codified even, in 1884 at a meeting

191
00:11:18,840 --> 00:11:22,080
in one of the hotels in Thurles,
Lizzie Hayes' Commercial Hotel,

192
00:11:22,080 --> 00:11:24,760
that was on the 1st November
in 1884.

193
00:11:24,760 --> 00:11:28,160
So, I'm at the very heart,
I'm at the place where it all began.

194
00:11:28,160 --> 00:11:31,160
You're at the official birth of
the Gaelic Athletic Association.

195
00:11:31,160 --> 00:11:33,880
How important are these sports
and these events

196
00:11:33,880 --> 00:11:37,960
to the Irish character,
Irish culture, Irish calendar?

197
00:11:37,960 --> 00:11:41,400
I don't think in the history
of anything in relation to sport
in Ireland

198
00:11:41,400 --> 00:11:46,080
is there two games more important
to the Irish psyche

199
00:11:46,080 --> 00:11:47,920
than hurling and Gaelic football.

200
00:11:47,920 --> 00:11:50,320
So, is there any way
I can learn the basics today?

201
00:11:50,320 --> 00:11:52,200
I think you could indeed.

202
00:11:54,200 --> 00:11:56,440
Even though hurling's
an amateur sport,

203
00:11:56,440 --> 00:11:59,480
its top players, like Noel McGrath
and Joanne Ryan,

204
00:11:59,480 --> 00:12:03,320
who plays the women's version called
camogie, are well-known faces.

205
00:12:03,320 --> 00:12:06,040
I have never dressed like this
in my life!

206
00:12:06,040 --> 00:12:08,800
Time for my ritual humiliation.

207
00:12:08,800 --> 00:12:12,120
Hi, guys. So, how do I play it?
Can I borrow your hurley? No bother.

208
00:12:12,120 --> 00:12:14,280
So what's the first thing
I have to learn?

209
00:12:14,280 --> 00:12:17,960
I suppose it's... Is to bounce it
on my hurley... Yeah.

210
00:12:17,960 --> 00:12:19,560
Oops! Yeah!

211
00:12:19,560 --> 00:12:21,560
I suppose the first thing to do

212
00:12:21,560 --> 00:12:24,280
is teaching youngsters just how
to how to hold the hurley right

213
00:12:24,280 --> 00:12:28,120
and then just to raise the ball and
get it into the hand like that.

214
00:12:28,120 --> 00:12:31,160
What's the point of getting it in
your hand, you're going to throw it?

215
00:12:31,160 --> 00:12:34,880
You have to get into your hand,
so you can hit it
with the hurley again.

216
00:12:36,760 --> 00:12:40,280
Nearly! Nearly there, yeah.

217
00:12:40,280 --> 00:12:42,880
Just that six inches adrift...

218
00:12:44,520 --> 00:12:47,240
Yay...I'm off! That's it, yeah.

219
00:12:47,240 --> 00:12:51,680
What's this business about
bashing it round the field?
How do you do that?

220
00:12:51,680 --> 00:12:54,400
I suppose you just, once you get it
into your hand

221
00:12:54,400 --> 00:12:58,600
you just throw it up
and you just strike it, like.

222
00:12:58,600 --> 00:13:00,800
I suppose it comes
natural after a while, like.

223
00:13:00,800 --> 00:13:02,640
So how do you do that neat thing,

224
00:13:02,640 --> 00:13:05,880
you just swing your bat around...
Two hands on the hurley...

225
00:13:05,880 --> 00:13:08,920
Ooh! Sorry, a bit hard.
Too good for you, Joanne!

226
00:13:11,640 --> 00:13:15,440
I'm playing a cricket stroke
there... so...

227
00:13:15,440 --> 00:13:19,080
Yeah. Ah, that's
getting better! Hooray!

228
00:13:19,080 --> 00:13:22,320
Noel, I'll get your autograph later.

229
00:13:22,320 --> 00:13:25,160
Thank you very much indeed.
No problem.

230
00:13:26,520 --> 00:13:31,360
It's probably best that I abandon
my stick and journey on.

231
00:13:41,040 --> 00:13:43,880
In Bradshaw's day and indeed
well into the 20th century,

232
00:13:43,880 --> 00:13:48,000
there was a direct rail connection
from Thurles to my next destination,

233
00:13:48,000 --> 00:13:51,040
but Ireland suffered cutbacks
in its rail network

234
00:13:51,040 --> 00:13:54,040
every bit as radical as those
in the UK

235
00:13:54,040 --> 00:13:57,080
and so now I have to go back south
to Limerick Junction

236
00:13:57,080 --> 00:13:59,760
and then eastward to Clonmel.

237
00:14:08,480 --> 00:14:11,280
I'm changing train
at Limerick Junction,

238
00:14:11,280 --> 00:14:13,560
an important crossing point
that, in Bradshaw's day,

239
00:14:13,560 --> 00:14:16,520
opened up Ireland's
most southerly rail routes

240
00:14:16,520 --> 00:14:19,760
and one of its most famous towns.

241
00:14:19,760 --> 00:14:26,120
The song, It's A Long Way
To Tipperary, was written
in Manchester in 1912

242
00:14:26,120 --> 00:14:29,720
and being a lament for a girl
left far behind at home,

243
00:14:29,720 --> 00:14:33,760
it became popular with
the soldiers in World War One
marching to the front

244
00:14:33,760 --> 00:14:36,120
and became globally famous.

245
00:14:36,120 --> 00:14:38,520
With its reputation
for being so distant,

246
00:14:38,520 --> 00:14:40,960
I never dreamt that
I'd set foot there myself

247
00:14:40,960 --> 00:14:44,800
but right now,
I'm arriving in Tipperary.

248
00:14:48,760 --> 00:14:50,880
I'm not alighting.

249
00:14:50,880 --> 00:14:53,920
But my next destination is not
a long way from Tipperary,

250
00:14:53,920 --> 00:14:57,200
it's just 27 miles down the track.

251
00:14:57,200 --> 00:15:00,720
In the mid-18th century,
the ancient town of Clonmel

252
00:15:00,720 --> 00:15:04,120
demolished part of its city wall
and built a deepwater quay

253
00:15:04,120 --> 00:15:05,560
on the River Suir,

254
00:15:05,560 --> 00:15:09,000
becoming one of the most important
freight hubs for Irish corn.

255
00:15:13,680 --> 00:15:17,040
The railway arrived in 1852,
but some years earlier,

256
00:15:17,040 --> 00:15:19,880
Ireland's first ever
public transport service

257
00:15:19,880 --> 00:15:25,000
commenced here and I'm hoping that
Fergal O'Keefe, the owner of Hearns,

258
00:15:25,000 --> 00:15:28,600
my hotel for the night,
can tell me all about it.

259
00:15:28,600 --> 00:15:31,120
Great to see you.
Thank you very much.

260
00:15:31,120 --> 00:15:35,480
I see outside that it says that
this was the headquarters

261
00:15:35,480 --> 00:15:38,880
of the Charles Bianconi
stage coach system from 1815.

262
00:15:38,880 --> 00:15:40,240
Tell me about that.

263
00:15:40,240 --> 00:15:42,280
He actually set up
the headquarters here

264
00:15:42,280 --> 00:15:47,080
for the first public transport
system in Ireland in 1815.

265
00:15:47,080 --> 00:15:50,400
He actually came from Italy.
He actually was a peddler.

266
00:15:50,400 --> 00:15:53,080
He walked up to 30 miles
a day around the country

267
00:15:53,080 --> 00:15:54,920
and obviously when you're doing that,

268
00:15:54,920 --> 00:15:57,400
he noticed how bad
the public transport system was.

269
00:15:57,400 --> 00:16:00,640
He had a great opportunity,
actually, at the Battle of Waterloo.

270
00:16:00,640 --> 00:16:03,320
After that, that's when
he had his big chance,

271
00:16:03,320 --> 00:16:07,080
because basically there was a glut
of cheap horses and cheap grain

272
00:16:07,080 --> 00:16:10,120
that went on the market and
he used that opportunity

273
00:16:10,120 --> 00:16:13,320
to set up his business, but actually,
when he started first,

274
00:16:13,320 --> 00:16:15,800
the demand wasn't great.
It didn't really take off.

275
00:16:18,040 --> 00:16:21,720
Bianconi had arrived in Ireland
as a penniless 15-year-old,

276
00:16:21,720 --> 00:16:24,240
and he wasn't about
to let his business fail.

277
00:16:25,400 --> 00:16:29,440
To drum up custom, he set up
a rival service in another name,

278
00:16:29,440 --> 00:16:33,920
and developed a fierce, but fake,
rivalry between the two.

279
00:16:33,920 --> 00:16:36,520
Word quickly spread and
passengers bought tickets

280
00:16:36,520 --> 00:16:41,000
simply to experience the thrill
of the race from Clonmel to Cahir.

281
00:16:42,600 --> 00:16:46,480
His stagecoach network
quickly spread nationwide and,

282
00:16:46,480 --> 00:16:48,920
embracing the railways'
rapid expansion,

283
00:16:48,920 --> 00:16:52,320
it included many feeder routes
to stations.

284
00:16:52,320 --> 00:16:55,000
I have to say, the town
is so proud of him.

285
00:16:55,000 --> 00:16:56,360
He was a great visionary.

286
00:16:56,360 --> 00:16:58,800
He also set up the first
Catholic university in Dublin.

287
00:16:58,800 --> 00:17:02,120
He was an investor in that.
He also set up the national bank.

288
00:17:02,120 --> 00:17:04,800
He was also the mayor of Clonmel
for a couple of years

289
00:17:04,800 --> 00:17:07,080
and he didn't take
a salary during that time.

290
00:17:07,080 --> 00:17:10,440
So Ireland was very happy to borrow
this Italian. Exactly, yeah.

291
00:17:24,320 --> 00:17:27,160
Revived and ready for
a new day of discovery,

292
00:17:27,160 --> 00:17:29,640
my first destination is in Clonmel.

293
00:17:31,120 --> 00:17:35,040
This is the courthouse in Clonmel,
where my Bradshaw's tells me

294
00:17:35,040 --> 00:17:39,680
"the O'Brien pronunciamento was
knocked on the head in 1848,

295
00:17:39,680 --> 00:17:42,520
"the leader of which has
returned to his native land

296
00:17:42,520 --> 00:17:44,560
"a wiser and better man

297
00:17:44,560 --> 00:17:48,320
"having been pardoned
by Her Majesty Queen Victoria."

298
00:17:48,320 --> 00:17:51,080
Now what's interesting to me
is that a guide book published

299
00:17:51,080 --> 00:17:56,040
in the 1860s is still recalling
a political event from 1848,

300
00:17:56,040 --> 00:17:58,480
so it must have been
pretty important

301
00:17:58,480 --> 00:18:00,680
and worthy of further investigation.

302
00:18:03,840 --> 00:18:06,520
With no train link,
to find out more, I need to travel

303
00:18:06,520 --> 00:18:10,280
22 miles north by road
to the townland of Farrenrory,

304
00:18:10,280 --> 00:18:12,760
close to the village of Ballingarry,

305
00:18:12,760 --> 00:18:16,240
where I'm meeting author
Willie Nolan at the Famine Warhouse.

306
00:18:16,240 --> 00:18:18,280
Willie, hello. Oh, hello, Michael.

307
00:18:18,280 --> 00:18:20,320
William Smith O'Brien, who was he?

308
00:18:20,320 --> 00:18:23,400
Well, William Smith O'Brien was
a member of an aristocratic family,

309
00:18:23,400 --> 00:18:27,120
the O'Briens of Inshikren,
but he was also a member from 1843

310
00:18:27,120 --> 00:18:31,000
of the Repeal Association which was
meant to repeal the act of union.

311
00:18:31,000 --> 00:18:32,320
To give Ireland home rule.

312
00:18:32,320 --> 00:18:34,360
To give Ireland a form of home rule.

313
00:18:34,360 --> 00:18:38,480
So how does he become
involved in events in 1848?

314
00:18:38,480 --> 00:18:42,880
O'Brien was going around the country
to organise the Irish league

315
00:18:42,880 --> 00:18:45,720
and to actually establish
military clubs.

316
00:18:45,720 --> 00:18:50,080
It was a twofold, pronged
attack on the British system -

317
00:18:50,080 --> 00:18:53,640
your military organisation
and your political organisation.

318
00:18:53,640 --> 00:18:55,680
But of course what happened is,

319
00:18:55,680 --> 00:19:00,040
the British government was moving
pretty quick to sort out the affair

320
00:19:00,040 --> 00:19:03,120
and they brought in
a number of acts in Parliament,

321
00:19:03,120 --> 00:19:05,440
and the one which really
started all the problems here

322
00:19:05,440 --> 00:19:08,920
in some respects was
the suspension of habeas corpus.

323
00:19:08,920 --> 00:19:11,520
So people could be put
in prison without charge?

324
00:19:11,520 --> 00:19:13,560
It was basically internment
without trial.

325
00:19:13,560 --> 00:19:17,200
And because they knew that the young
Irelanders, Irish confederation,

326
00:19:17,200 --> 00:19:19,840
had publicised all their
efforts in the newspapers -

327
00:19:19,840 --> 00:19:22,040
they had their own newspaper
called The Nation -

328
00:19:22,040 --> 00:19:23,440
they knew who was involved.

329
00:19:25,920 --> 00:19:30,920
A proclamation put a £500 price
on O'Brien's arrest

330
00:19:30,920 --> 00:19:33,040
and a troop of 46 policemen

331
00:19:33,040 --> 00:19:36,320
under the leadership of
a Sub-Inspector named Trant,

332
00:19:36,320 --> 00:19:37,920
set out for the pursuit.

333
00:19:39,680 --> 00:19:43,320
But these were dangerous times
for the authorities in Ireland,

334
00:19:43,320 --> 00:19:46,480
and it was Trant and his policemen
who were pursued

335
00:19:46,480 --> 00:19:50,480
as O'Brien's pro-independence
Young Irelanders

336
00:19:50,480 --> 00:19:54,520
forced the police to take refuge
in this widow's house in Farrenrory.

337
00:19:56,200 --> 00:20:00,040
O'Brien comes to this window here,
and he says to the police inside,

338
00:20:00,040 --> 00:20:03,520
"I'm Smith O'Brien, I'm as good
as an Irish as any of you

339
00:20:03,520 --> 00:20:04,960
"and I want to make peace."

340
00:20:04,960 --> 00:20:08,200
Sub-Inspector Thomas Trant
ordered the police to fire,

341
00:20:08,200 --> 00:20:10,240
and in doing so,
one man was shot dead,

342
00:20:10,240 --> 00:20:12,640
one man was badly injured
and died a couple of days later

343
00:20:12,640 --> 00:20:14,680
and a few more people were wounded.

344
00:20:16,280 --> 00:20:18,320
How was the siege
eventually resolved?

345
00:20:18,320 --> 00:20:20,240
The siege was resolved
by the intervention

346
00:20:20,240 --> 00:20:23,040
of Father Philip Fitzgerald,
the local Catholic curate.

347
00:20:23,040 --> 00:20:25,440
Father Fitzgerald rides up
to the front window here

348
00:20:25,440 --> 00:20:29,320
and attempts to negotiate with
Trant, who appears at the window.

349
00:20:29,320 --> 00:20:31,560
Now, there are various
kinds of aspects

350
00:20:31,560 --> 00:20:34,240
of what Father Fitzgerald
said and didn't say,

351
00:20:34,240 --> 00:20:37,480
but what I think he said is that
if they surrendered their arms,

352
00:20:37,480 --> 00:20:39,480
they would be allowed to go free.

353
00:20:39,480 --> 00:20:43,080
But that didn't appeal
to Trant and he said no,

354
00:20:43,080 --> 00:20:45,760
we're quite pleased
to be where we are.

355
00:20:45,760 --> 00:20:48,000
We're very secure,
we've a very solid house,

356
00:20:48,000 --> 00:20:50,280
and he was all the time
expecting re-enforcements

357
00:20:50,280 --> 00:20:53,680
from the other police stations,
and this is actually what happened.

358
00:20:57,880 --> 00:21:00,320
What happened to
O'Brien after the siege?

359
00:21:00,320 --> 00:21:04,120
O'Brien was in safe hiding
for a week after the siege,

360
00:21:04,120 --> 00:21:06,480
and just nearly
exactly a week later,

361
00:21:06,480 --> 00:21:08,880
he turned up at
Thurles railway station,

362
00:21:08,880 --> 00:21:12,000
and a railway guard named Hulme
came up to him and said,

363
00:21:12,000 --> 00:21:15,800
"You are Smith O'Brien and I arrest
you in the name of the Queen."

364
00:21:15,800 --> 00:21:18,280
It says here, "Remember '48".

365
00:21:18,280 --> 00:21:21,080
Now, how important is it
in Irish history, do you think?

366
00:21:21,080 --> 00:21:24,800
It's very important, because you
could say the schedule of title

367
00:21:24,800 --> 00:21:28,800
to Irish nationalism, there are
references to six occasions

368
00:21:28,800 --> 00:21:31,760
in which The Irish took up arms
to secure independence

369
00:21:31,760 --> 00:21:33,440
and this is one of them.

370
00:21:33,440 --> 00:21:37,000
Well, Willie, you've really
brought to life for me

371
00:21:37,000 --> 00:21:39,400
a very substantial part of
Irish history. Thank you.

372
00:21:39,400 --> 00:21:40,400
Thank you.

373
00:21:46,520 --> 00:21:51,400
Back to Clonmel, to take the train
to my last destination of the day.

374
00:21:51,400 --> 00:21:53,200
Beautiful though it is to watch

375
00:21:53,200 --> 00:21:56,280
Ireland's green fields
race past the carriage window,

376
00:21:56,280 --> 00:21:58,880
it's more exciting to see
the railway lines

377
00:21:58,880 --> 00:22:00,920
stretching out ahead of the train,

378
00:22:00,920 --> 00:22:03,960
and for the brief run
from Clonmel to Waterford,

379
00:22:03,960 --> 00:22:05,760
I'm going to ride in the cab.

380
00:22:11,120 --> 00:22:13,560
So, Raymond, how long a run
is it into Waterford?

381
00:22:13,560 --> 00:22:16,520
40 minutes. And is it
quite nice countryside?

382
00:22:16,520 --> 00:22:19,200
It's lovely, yes.
It's a nice, scenic line.

383
00:22:19,200 --> 00:22:22,640
TRAIN HORN SOUNDS

384
00:22:34,840 --> 00:22:37,920
Of my next stop, Waterford,
Bradshaw says,

385
00:22:37,920 --> 00:22:41,600
"It has a thriving provision trade
with Bristol and Liverpool

386
00:22:41,600 --> 00:22:44,160
"and is provided with
excellent quay room,

387
00:22:44,160 --> 00:22:47,640
"and water deep enough
for ships of a thousand tonnes."

388
00:22:49,400 --> 00:22:51,280
With its ready access to the sea,

389
00:22:51,280 --> 00:22:55,360
Waterford has been a substantial
port since Viking times.

390
00:22:55,360 --> 00:22:59,360
But its railway heritage
most interests me.

391
00:22:59,360 --> 00:23:02,280
One of the things
that impresses me about railways

392
00:23:02,280 --> 00:23:05,280
is that even though
steam engines have been replaced,

393
00:23:05,280 --> 00:23:09,800
the basic engineering concept
of metal wheels on metal rails

394
00:23:09,800 --> 00:23:13,040
is unchanged in 200 years.
Here at Waterford,

395
00:23:13,040 --> 00:23:17,520
I'm going to see some other aspects
of current railway technology

396
00:23:17,520 --> 00:23:20,000
that even George Bradshaw
would recognise.

397
00:23:25,840 --> 00:23:29,200
Stephen, hello, I'm Michael.
Hello, Michael.

398
00:23:29,200 --> 00:23:31,920
This really is a signal box
built for railway enthusiasts,

399
00:23:31,920 --> 00:23:35,000
built across the line like this
over a bridge. That's quite unusual.

400
00:23:35,000 --> 00:23:38,120
Yes, I haven't seen any others
like that in this country, anyway.

401
00:23:38,120 --> 00:23:39,640
How old do you think it is?

402
00:23:39,640 --> 00:23:43,280
50 or 100 years old, maybe more.
Yeah. Before my time anyway.

403
00:23:43,280 --> 00:23:44,560
HE LAUGHS

404
00:23:44,560 --> 00:23:47,880
Now, you've got here
a variety of signal levers.

405
00:23:47,880 --> 00:23:52,440
These control semaphore signals
of the old-fashioned sort, yes?

406
00:23:52,440 --> 00:23:54,880
Most of the signals there
are semaphore signals.

407
00:23:56,520 --> 00:23:59,960
The first railway semaphore
signal in Britain and Ireland

408
00:23:59,960 --> 00:24:03,840
was installed on the London
to Croydon line in the 1840s.

409
00:24:03,840 --> 00:24:07,480
A horizontal signal
always means stop,

410
00:24:07,480 --> 00:24:12,960
but whether "proceed" is
indicated by an up or down arm

411
00:24:12,960 --> 00:24:16,800
depends on which system
each railway employs.

412
00:24:16,800 --> 00:24:20,720
The trackside signals are worked
manually by the signalman

413
00:24:20,720 --> 00:24:24,160
who pulls a lever, which also
moves a red or green glass

414
00:24:24,160 --> 00:24:29,040
in front of the lamp, so the signal
can be identified in darkness.

415
00:24:29,040 --> 00:24:31,680
Do you mind if I give it
a pull for you? Yeah.

416
00:24:31,680 --> 00:24:33,880
How many weeks' practice
did this take?

417
00:24:35,720 --> 00:24:38,160
You didn't have your Weetabix
this morning.

418
00:24:38,160 --> 00:24:39,960
I'll let you do it, Stephen. OK.

419
00:24:44,200 --> 00:24:46,920
In Waterford, I come across
another example

420
00:24:46,920 --> 00:24:51,920
of Victorian railway heritage
at Kilmeadan Station.

421
00:24:51,920 --> 00:24:55,040
In the United Kingdom,
we have heritage railway fever.

422
00:24:55,040 --> 00:24:56,960
There are fewer lines in Ireland,

423
00:24:56,960 --> 00:24:59,800
but I am about to go on
the longest stretch now open

424
00:24:59,800 --> 00:25:03,040
which is on the Waterford,
Dungarven and Lismore railway,

425
00:25:03,040 --> 00:25:07,360
which was originally opened in 1878,
after my Bradshaw's was published.

426
00:25:07,360 --> 00:25:11,240
And today there are families,
festivities and balloons.

427
00:25:12,240 --> 00:25:14,720
Hello, Maria. Hello, Michael.
You're very welcome.

428
00:25:14,720 --> 00:25:17,440
Congratulations on your railway,
because this really has been

429
00:25:17,440 --> 00:25:20,200
quite an effort, hasn't it,
to get it open again?

430
00:25:20,200 --> 00:25:23,000
It has indeed, yes.
It was a long effort,

431
00:25:23,000 --> 00:25:24,720
but I tell you, it's well worth it.

432
00:25:24,720 --> 00:25:27,520
We've been operating now for
10 years and it's kind of gone

433
00:25:27,520 --> 00:25:30,120
from strength to strength
ever since. How long a track is it?

434
00:25:30,120 --> 00:25:34,000
We've actually got 10km of track.
We only operate on 8.5km.

435
00:25:34,000 --> 00:25:36,400
I've heard this line called
the Duke's railway line.

436
00:25:36,400 --> 00:25:38,080
Why would that be?

437
00:25:38,080 --> 00:25:40,920
It was actually the Waterford-
Dungarven-Lismore railway line,

438
00:25:40,920 --> 00:25:43,960
and the Duke of Devonshire was
the main shareholder in this line,

439
00:25:43,960 --> 00:25:45,960
hence it was called the Duke's line.

440
00:25:48,000 --> 00:25:50,560
This new line terminated at Lismore,

441
00:25:50,560 --> 00:25:55,120
the Irish seat of William Cavendish,
the 7th Duke of Devonshire.

442
00:25:55,120 --> 00:25:58,320
As the chairman and main
shareholder of his railway,

443
00:25:58,320 --> 00:26:01,640
the duke ensured that visitors
travelling by rail to his castle

444
00:26:01,640 --> 00:26:04,080
would be impressed by
his local station,

445
00:26:04,080 --> 00:26:07,280
which he had built from
expensive Portland stone.

446
00:26:11,320 --> 00:26:14,000
What are your future
hopes for the railway?

447
00:26:14,000 --> 00:26:17,080
Our future hopes are
to extend the track

448
00:26:17,080 --> 00:26:19,520
from Bilberry right
to Waterford City,

449
00:26:19,520 --> 00:26:21,760
so that people can get on
in the city and come out

450
00:26:21,760 --> 00:26:24,520
and experience some of
the beauty of County Waterford

451
00:26:24,520 --> 00:26:27,200
while they're staying
in the city. And at that time,

452
00:26:27,200 --> 00:26:29,920
I would hope we'd be operating
with a steam engine.

453
00:26:29,920 --> 00:26:32,240
Can you imagine a steam engine
going from Kilmeadan

454
00:26:32,240 --> 00:26:34,880
all the way into the city,
down the quays

455
00:26:34,880 --> 00:26:37,960
and picking up in Waterford city?
I think it would be unique.

456
00:26:37,960 --> 00:26:41,200
It'd be the only Irish city
with a steam engine.

457
00:26:41,200 --> 00:26:42,840
That'll be the day I come back.

458
00:26:52,840 --> 00:26:55,240
In case the Duke of Devonshire
is watching,

459
00:26:55,240 --> 00:27:00,240
I want to thank your ancestor, sir,
for giving us this lovely railway.

460
00:27:00,240 --> 00:27:04,000
There are plans to re-extend it
to the city of Waterford.

461
00:27:04,000 --> 00:27:07,040
For the moment it only goes
as far as Bilberry

462
00:27:07,040 --> 00:27:11,640
to the south of the city centre,
so that's where I'll be getting off.

463
00:27:22,040 --> 00:27:24,280
In Britain, the railways
are closely associated

464
00:27:24,280 --> 00:27:26,440
with the Industrial Revolution,

465
00:27:26,440 --> 00:27:30,240
but even in rural Ireland,
the trains made as big an impact

466
00:27:30,240 --> 00:27:32,840
on things like
agriculture and sport.

467
00:27:32,840 --> 00:27:35,240
On this leg of my journey,
I've encountered things

468
00:27:35,240 --> 00:27:37,080
that most evoke Ireland -

469
00:27:37,080 --> 00:27:40,560
Tipperary, butter, Gaelic football,

470
00:27:40,560 --> 00:27:43,360
and of course,
rebellion against the British.

471
00:27:46,840 --> 00:27:48,480
On the next leg of my journey,

472
00:27:48,480 --> 00:27:52,200
I'll try my hand at cutting marble,
Victorian style...

473
00:27:56,200 --> 00:27:57,720
It just suddenly fell away!

474
00:27:57,720 --> 00:28:02,080
..uncover 19th century Ireland's
surprising industrial heritage...

475
00:28:02,080 --> 00:28:03,560
It's a monumental mill, isn't it?

476
00:28:03,560 --> 00:28:05,760
Really impressive.
Looks like a fortress.

477
00:28:05,760 --> 00:28:10,840
..and learn how the railways helped
to bring motorsport to the masses.

478
00:28:10,840 --> 00:28:13,840
They estimated that there would have
been almost a million people

479
00:28:13,840 --> 00:28:15,880
spectating on that event.
You're not serious.

480
00:28:15,880 --> 00:28:17,520
The first time there was
ever a gathering

481
00:28:17,520 --> 00:28:18,920
of that amount of people in Ireland.

482
00:28:35,560 --> 00:28:38,720
Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd